Passes & Canyons Blog

I make note of my odometer readings on all three bikes and my car at the end of the year and once again I put more miles on my bikes than I did on my car. It has been quite awhile, actually, since the last time I put more miles on the car than on the bikes. I try to ensure that the bikes get the bulk of the miles.

That said, my mileage overall for the year was down. In 2018 my total mileage was 10,158 (7,230 motorcycle miles); in 2019 it was 8,011 (4,777 motorcycle miles). I guess I just don’t leave the house as much as I used to. Still, that was 4,777 miles on the bikes versus only 3,234 miles in the car. But there have been years when I’ve put more miles on the Kawi alone than I put on all my vehicles last year.

So which one got the most riding? Once again it was the V-Strom. This has totally to do with tires. I was getting set to go on the OFMC ride last year and looking at the tires on the Kawi I was not confident. I wanted to take the Kawi but the tread was getting thin. But it was not thin enough for me to want to get new tires yet. I briefly considered taking the CB750 but it has the least luggage capacity so I took the V-Strom.

All told, I put 3,494 miles on the V. That compares to 2,425 the year before.

The Concours was the one that really got short shrift last year. That wonderful highway bike was only ridden for 688 miles, versus 4,336 the previous year. That has got to be the least it has ever had. (Nope, I checked my records and I only rode it 666 miles in 2013.) I want to ride it on the OFMC trip this year so I’ll make sure to wear out those tires and get new ones before that trip comes around.

In last place as always is the CB750. I only put 595 miles on it last year. But that’s up from 469 miles the previous year. I made a special point of riding that bike more.

So what am I looking for in 2020? By golly, I will put more miles on all three bikes, I swear. And if I can put fewer miles on my car that will just be a bonus. In particular I want to put more than 1,000 miles on the Honda in one year, something I haven’t done since 2009. That used to be my only bike and it always got lots of miles.

And let’s see if I can exceed 10,000 motorcycle miles this year. You know what they say about a dirty job that someone has to do. Well, I’m more than willing to do the dirty work.

Biker Quote for Today

The cost of not following your heart is spending the rest of your life wishing you had.

I knew Saturday, January 4, was supposed to be an extremely warm day, the kind that is perfect for motorcycle riding. There was just one problem. Our street was still iced in, especially in several spots where big trees shade the road and protect the ice. Would I be able to get out or would I be totally frustrated watching a terrific riding day slip by?

Thursday and Friday had been moderately warm, in the mid 40s. Saturday was projected to hit 58. By sundown on Friday there was still way too much ice on our street.

I checked it out. If there had been just a spot or two where I would have had to coast over, say, 5 feet of ice, I would have been inclined to do it. But those big trees were leaving areas where it was more like 25 feet of ice, and more than just one. Going out I might have been able to roll on over, with no throttle because it is downhill. But coming back would have meant higher speed or throttle to get back over those spots. I was leery.

So in the early part of the day I went about my normal routine. That includes walking to the gym, around the other side of our block. Coming home I saw that that side of the block was still unpassable. I showered and had lunch and then took a walk down our side of the block to check the ice there.

Holy smokes! The way was totally clear! And it wasn’t just a narrow pathway, a huge wide swath had just opened up. Thank you Mr. Sun! I headed home to gear up.

I chose the V-Strom for my first ride of the year. The ride was nothing of any particular note; I just headed south, and south, and south, until I turned east, and then turned north for home again. But it was a beautiful day. I wore my electric vest but had no need to turn it on. I kept my visor cracked the whole time and my face never came close to getting cold.

And there were a lot of other bikes out. Plenty. Heck, who wouldn’t want to go out on a day like this? I even saw a convertible with the top down.

Have I ever mentioned how much I love living in Colorado? This is why.

Biker Quote for Today

Why motorcycles are better than men: If your motorcycle doesn’t look good, you can paint it or get better parts.

I went to the Last Brass Monkey Run Tuesday, December 31. No, I didn’t ride.

I sure as heck wanted to, and some people were actually able to do so; there were about a dozen bikes parked outside the Rock Rest. But for me as well as a bunch of others I spoke to, our streets were iced in and there was no way to get out on two wheels.

The folks who really, really tried to ride were Larry and Kathy Montgomery. Larry is the incoming ABATE state coordinator, taking over for Bruce Downs. Bruce and Carol were there but couldn’t ride because their street was iced in. Larry and Kathy were there but couldn’t ride because . . .

Well, it’s a bit of a story.

Their street was iced in but Larry is nothing if not resourceful. So he loaded up the bike on a trailer and they drove over to the ABATE state office on Chambers. But the bike wouldn’t start because the battery was dead.

Back on the trailer and they drove over to a piece of land near the state office that Larry owns where for years ABATE has stored extra training bikes. Attach that thing to a charge unit and give it awhile.

Later: still won’t start. The battery is not just dead, it is shot. Time to drive to Golden.

So it was a good turn-out. Part of your registration included a poker hand and there were five games to see what cards you got. In one case there were two bags, four balls in one and 13 balls in the other. Take from the four-ball bag to find suit, from the other for card. I started off with a King of Spades. Nice! I like this.

Next was a wheel to spin, like Wheel of Fortune. My spin landed on a King of Spades. Ummm . . . you can’t have two Kings of Spades in one hand. I had to spin again. Got a 7 of Diamonds.

Then a board with eggshell foam where each depression is a card. Drop your ball and see where it lands. I got a 3 of Clubs.

Fourth was a blow dart thing. This is cool so I was glad to have the chance to do this. And I got a 10 of Clubs.

Finally a hoop throw. Whatever you get a hoop around, that’s your card. I got a 2 of Clubs.

That’s a pretty miserable poker hand. No, I did not win.

I did, however, come home with a baseball-themed beer stein as a door prize. Judy said we could give it to ARC but I said no, I think I’ll use it. What the heck, it’s kind of a nice beer stein.

All in all it was a good time. I’m glad I went.

Biker Quote for Today

Anything that gets your blood racing is probably worth doing. — Hunter S. Thompson

The OFMC–at least the three of us who remain–now have a route set for 2020.

Now that I’m the designated planner, this is a consensus thing. Last year it was agreed that everyone was fine with doing some longer days and going farther. This time around the guys say they would prefer shorter days and also like the idea of staying in one place for three nights. You got it.

We’ll be leaving Denver on a Friday and cruising down to Alamosa. On Saturday we’ll go further south, to Espanola, New Mexico. This will be our three-night stop. What does Espanola offer to make it worth three nights? Well, everything the OFMC looks for.

First off there is an Indian casino hotel where we will stay. A gambling stop is a must on OFMC trips. Second, Espanola has what appears to be a spectacular public golf course. A golf stop is also an OFMC must. And third, Espanola is in a spot where there are several very good options for day rides. So one of the two days we stay there will be for golfing and the other for riding. Arrive–night one; golf or ride–night two; golf or ride–night three; leave.

The OFMC started out with just Bill and John and me. Then it grew, and then it shrunk. We’re back to three now, and Dennis has replaced John. But John lives outside Montrose and he said he and his wife, Cheryl, will almost certainly be interested in coming down and joining us in Espanola for some golf and gambling. So that will be fun.

From there we’ll head up to Durango and the next day on to Monticello, Utah. The day after that a very scenic route will take us to Hotchkiss, Colorado, for a favorite stop at the Hotchkiss Inn. Then the last night will be in Leadville before heading on home.

So. No long days, gambling, golf, three nights in one place, lots of good riding. My job here is done.

Biker Quote for Today

Why bikes are better than women: Unlike women FAT motorcycles aren’t cheap dates.

OK, this will be a shameless promo. Looking on Thursday at the seven-day forecast, the best day coming up should be Tuesday, December 31. How convenient. That’s the day of the Last Brass Monkey Run.

The Last Brass, as it is called for short, is an ABATE of Colorado event intended to be the last ride of the year. Although ABATE tried moving it to the last Saturday of the year, in order to get more people to come, that didn’t have much effect so it was moved back to the last day of the year.

This year the Last Brass will be held at the Rock Rest Lodge, 16005 Old Golden Road, out in Golden. If you haven’t ever been to the Rock Rest you might want to come just to see the place.

Back a long, long time ago I lived very near there with my girlfriend, Sue, and we used to go there on Saturday nights for the country swing dancing. I hadn’t been there in probably 40 years but it was one of the stops on the ABATE D-17 Dart Run this summer so I stopped in again. Holy smokes, has that place changed. Forty years ago it was basically a dive bar with a huge dance floor. Now it is still rustic but it has been updated in a way that retains and enhances the ambience. And it’s a lot more popular.

So the Last Brass used to be an event where you would come to some distant starting point, sign up, and ride to the location. For many years that location was always the Grizzly Rose. Years ago you would come to the Rose and the parking lot would be jammed with motorcycles of all kinds. Then, for reasons unclear to me, attendance started to drop. The Grizzly Rose was no longer a viable venue because it was much, much too big for the number of people showing up. So it started moving around. It was at Wrigley’s for a couple years and then last year was the first at the Rock Rest. (I didn’t make it last year.) This year it’s the Rock Rest.

There will be music, food, door prizes, “games of skill/chance.” Now there are no far-flung starting places, you just come on down. Registration starts at 11 a.m. For ABATE members it’s $15; for non-members $20. If you join or renew your membership it’s $10. I originally joined ABATE at the Last Brass and I always renew there if I go. I’ll definitely be going this year. I invite you to join me. And if you do come, be sure to find me and say hello.

Biker Quote for Today

You know you’re a biker if you ever quit a job to go to Sturgis.

Saturday: “If it’s gonna be a beautiful day I’m gonna have to ride.”

It was, so I did.

Of course I had no idea where to. As so often, I headed across Cherry Creek Dam to Parker Road and then decided to go east on Hampden. Heading that direction I thought of how I have followed streets like Colorado and Quebec south to see where they go. What about the streets further east? I turned south on Buckley.

Buckley through here is a major thoroughfare–six lanes. What I didn’t know is that it ends at Arapahoe. You come to that intersection and on the south of Arapahoe the six lanes goes down to two, with no sidewalks. There’s a sign that says Foxfield. OK, this is somewhere I’ve never been before.

The street on this side of Arapahoe is Richfield. Foxfield appears to be an area of large, somewhat older homes with large lots. Horse properties. Richfield passes on through the development until it hits a T at Jamison. Now it’s looking familiar. I think I came through here once before, following Broncos Parkway after it crossed Parker Road into the Chenango development.

Sure enough, Jamison bends around until it hits Long and you have to east or west on Long. I went east. If I’m correct about all of this, I’m going to come out at a point where some road crosses C-470. Sure enough, I come over a rise and there’s C-470. The road that crosses it is Ireland Way.

Ireland becomes Travois Trail, winding through an Indian-name-themed older development, also with large lots but looking more middle class than the upscale Foxfield. Streets with names like Warbonnet, Bowstring, and Arrowshaft. Then it hits a T at Inspiration Drive. Now I really know where I am.

I go east on Inspiration and at some point reach an intersection that makes me wonder if this is a road I was on just a few weeks ago. Turn right and let’s see. Nope. About half a mile later the road, that is clearly intended to be extended at some point, dead ends. Head back the other way.

Not really sure where I am now, the road bends around and runs into Aurora Parkway. OK, I’ve been getting more and more acquainted with Aurora Parkway lately. Head north and I should hit Smokey Hill. Correct. On north to what becomes Gun Club Road and I’m following a pick-up with a load of trash that doesn’t look any too securely strapped on. He must be headed for the Waste Management landfill on Gun Club.

Sure enough, he turns east toward the landfill–having not lost anything while I was cautiously behind him–while I turn west, back once again on Hampden. And on home.

Not an eventful ride, but an exploration. Have I ever told you I love to explore?

Biker Quote for Today

That biker guy was passed out on the floor. We took his wallet and the keys to his Harley and now we doesn’t have them anymore. — Bowling for Soup

In all the previous articles about this data dump I have drawn from the tables, which had been extracted and sent to me. I went to look at the full report and found just a bit more info of interest. Then I promise I’m through with this discussion.

The first thing is location. Where in the state are bikers most at risk? A table on annual motorcycle fatalities from 2014 through 2018 shows a lot of interesting numbers. Adams County is always one of the high ones. Over that five-year span the count of fatalities has been 7, 7, 13, 13, 10. Alamosa County, on the other hand is usually very safe but 2015 was a terrible year: 0, 7, 0, 0, 0. What the heck happened in 2015?

Not surprisingly, the metro area counties–which have the greatest population–mostly have the highest fatality rates, although for some reason Douglas County usually trends a bit lower than the others.
Arapahoe County–3, 0, 11, 6, 9
Denver City/County–7, 14, 14, 13, 7
Douglas County–3, 5, 10, 5, 3
Jefferson County–11, 14, 15, 9, 12

Boulder County is also surprisingly low, considering how many people there are: 5, 5, 4, 5, 3.

El Paso, Gunnison, Larimer, Mesa, Pueblo, and Weld Counties are also higher, in conformity with their populations.

Of all Colorado counties, Baca, Bent, Cheyenne, Costilla, Crowley, Dolores, Hinsdale, Kiowa, Kit Carson, Lincoln, Otero, Phillips, and Sedgewick Counties report zero motorcycle fatalities in this five-year span. That’s pretty impressive.

By age, the most fatalities occur among those who are 20-29 or 50-59. The five year totals for each age group are under 20–14; 20-29–125; 30-39–86; 40-49–87; 50-59–119; 60-69–74; over 70–25.

OK, that’s enough. I just thought that all these numbers in this whole series of posts were interesting and could hopefully be helpful to people in understanding what the greatest risks are. I hope I haven’t bored you too much.

Biker Quote for Today

We know you’re a poser if you think that a kick-starter is a mocha latte.

Old pictures of motorcyclists from, say, 50 years ago can be pretty amazing if you pay attention to the details. It’s not that most of the riders are not wearing helmets, though they’re not. It’s that in most cases they’re also not wearing eye protection. Of course, laws back then didn’t require either.

Here’s an example. Some time ago I got a copy of McQueen’s Machines: The Cars and Bikes of a Hollywood Icon. Flipping through it there are a variety of pictures of Steve McQueen on motorcycles and, in several of them he’s blasting along with no helmet or glasses. It is interesting to note, however, that in shots where he is racing he always wears goggles and a helmet. So it’s not like people back then didn’t understand the protection these things offered.

Nearly every state now has a motorcycle helmet law in one form or another, some requiring all riders to wear them, many only having restrictions on those under 18. These laws are a volatile topic year after year and are likely to remain so for a long time to come. At one extreme are non-riders who want to force all riders to wear helmets, and at the other end are riders who consider it insane to ride without a helmet but who adamantly oppose government mandates on the issue. And there’s a wide spectrum of positions in between the two.

What goes undebated, however, is the fact that requirements for riders and passengers on motorcycles to have some sort of eye protection are widely mandated now as well. Glasses or goggles, per se, are not specifically required; a number of states demand eye protection on your face only if you do not have a windshield. Alaska is more specific: your windshield must reach at least 15 inches above your handlebars. Alabama, California, and others don’t require anything. Indiana only requires eye protection for riders under 18.

It’s a non-issue. Why? Because people by and large are not stupid. I’ve been riding for more than 30 years and I’ve gone down on my bike once. I didn’t always wear a helmet, although now I always do. I was that day but it didn’t matter, my head never touched the ground or anything else.

On the other hand, I cannot count the number of bugs that have died on my visor or on the lenses of my glasses. And then there are the bits of grit and sand and tiny pebbles that my eye protection has deflected. I know that many years ago, just like Steve McQueen, I used to ride without glasses or any kind of eye protection. I find it hard to believe now.

What I also find kind of hard to believe is the number of states that have no requirements or only require a windshield. Both my bikes have windshields and trust me, they don’t block all the airborne debris. I don’t care what the law is, or what state I’m in, I’m not going riding without eye protection.

And I think that’s why it’s a non-issue. I know that in my experience, and I suspect in yours, too, if you go to a state that has no requirements for eye protection, you’ll nevertheless be hard put to spot anyone who doesn’t have it. It would just be stupid not to.

Wow, what a concept: People are not stupid.

Biker Quote for Today

You know you’re a biker if you have ever had to borrow a helmet for your date.